Re: obfuscation - C# Discussion Boards

mustang8631-Jul-09 22:13

mustang86

31-Jul-09 22:13

Good question! Smile | :)

Here are the features of the various software options:
http://rustemsoft.com/SkaterDoc/index.html?order.htm[^]

Does anyone know how those features compare to what in in VS2008 Professional? I was asked at work about protecting our IP. I gave it a quick handwave saying that we get a tool in VS2008 Professional software.

Also, I was thinking of doing a direct compile to an X86 hardware base and bypass CLI. I haven't done that yet. It's just something that I read about in one of my .NET books.

Thanks In Advance!

_____________
Joe

devvvy1-Aug-09 15:54

devvvy

1-Aug-09 15:54

Great thanks

But it does not appear they support 32 bit, and specifically we need office licensing/software lock for 64 bit platform...

dev

Moreno Airoldi31-Jul-09 23:39

Moreno Airoldi

31-Jul-09 23:39

What you should search in an obfuscator, beside strong obfuscation methods (flow control etc.), is string encryption.

My experience in the last few years showed me that the "best" obfuscator out there is Demeanor for .NET[^], which is a commercial software and requires a license fee.

But lately a very interesting freeware tool captured my attention: it's Eazfuscator.NET[^]. It's a great piece of ware, comes with all the needed obfuscation and encryption algortihms, and it's free!

We've been using it in production environments for some months now, and it proved quite effective. Don't be fooled by the looks of the VS integration interface (it doesn't look professional): it's a command line tool and works exactly like other obfuscators.

2+2=5 for very large amounts of 2
(always loved that one hehe!)

devvvy1-Aug-09 13:59

devvvy

1-Aug-09 13:59

whoa thanks - Eazfuscator.NET, is it easy to use?

Looks like Skater.NET is the only option which also offer licensing support

http://rustemsoft.com/SkaterDoc/index.html?order.htm[^]

Lets say if the intention is for my boss to protect his Intellectual Property against me. If I'm the guy who write the licensing code (instead of using third party software like Skater.NET), then would obfuscation software such as Ezafuscator (with no built in licensing) be able to serve this purpose?

Thanks

dev

Moreno Airoldi2-Aug-09 0:58

Moreno Airoldi

2-Aug-09 0:58

Eazfuscator is very easy to use. Like other obfuscators, it's just a command line tool, but it includes a simple interface for VS integration, which will take your project and automatically add a post-generation event to call the utility. You just end up with an obfuscated exe, not much more to be done.

In order to include or exclude classes and pieces of code from obfuscation, it offers some custom attributes.

It does not include any licensing support, so if you need it I guess you'll have to go for Skater or some similar commercial software.

About protecting intellectual property, if your boss wants protection against you (the developer) my opinion is he would be going the wrong way if he thinks to enforce it with obfuscation and licensing.

You write the source code, so you can steal it, either by copying it or by trying to rewrite it. Besides, even with a licensing method not written by you, you can still steal the asymmetric encryption keys and the passwords. If he wants protection against information leakage, I think the correct way is trust and an NDA.

For my projects I decided to write the licensing software myself, cause I don't want to be tied to a third party solution which may not work with future OS releases, or may drop out of the market, or whose pricing strategy may force me to spend high amounts of money in the future. That said, most software houses use pre-cooked licensing solutions and they are more than happy with that.

I think your choice will depend mainly on three factors:

1) Is the cost for the third party solution acceptable (would it cost me more to develop and maintain my own solution) ?
2) Do I have the concrete possibility to develop an in-house solution (time, skill, etc.) ?
3) How much is my software worth against the cost I will pay for licensing (i.e. which is the REAL chance of someone wanting to break it - and succeeding - and which would be the REAL loss I will undergo ? - this in my opinion is the fact most people fail to consider properly) ?

Well, good luck. Let me know how it goes. Smile | :)

2+2=5 for very large amounts of 2
(always loved that one hehe!)

Re: obfuscation [modified]

OriginalGriff2-Aug-09 1:30

OriginalGriff

2-Aug-09 1:30

Just how does your boss think obfuscation of the executable code would work to protect his IP from the developer who codes with the source? The only way to enforce such protection would be to blindfold you when you sit down... Sniff | :^)

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.

This message is made of fully recyclable Zeros and Ones

mustang861-Aug-09 16:46

mustang86

1-Aug-09 16:46

Moreno:
Thanks!

In my case, the end product is high volume, but the Windows app won't be available to the public. So, my management wouldn't go for any of the hassles or internal bookkeeping costs that goes with a licensing fee.

It looks like I may go with Eazfuscator.NET.

Thanks again!
____
Joe

modified on Sunday, August 2, 2009 3:24 AM

read data from existing tcp connection

Moreno Airoldi2-Aug-09 0:58

Moreno Airoldi

2-Aug-09 0:58

My pleasure! Smile | :)

2+2=5 for very large amounts of 2
(always loved that one hehe!)

Tris Setiawan31-Jul-09 19:46

Tris Setiawan

31-Jul-09 19:46

hi all, can anyone guide me or has links about how to read data from existing tcp connection?
let's say i have application X which operates on tcp protocol on port 12000,
how can i create a .Net application to get the data that passes through port 12000? (the data that application X receives)

i hope my question is clear. any help is much appreaciated

thank you.

Re: read data from existing tcp connection

stancrm31-Jul-09 19:56

stancrm

31-Jul-09 19:56

you must use packet capture to get the data from another process. See this:

SharpPcap - A packet capture framework for .NET[^]

Re: read data from existing tcp connection

Tris Setiawan31-Jul-09 20:25

Tris Setiawan

31-Jul-09 20:25

thanks for your fast reply stancrm, it seems the answer i have been looking for. Thumbs Up | :thumbsup:

using tab control

gal00031-Jul-09 6:59

gal000

31-Jul-09 6:59

Hi,
I've creared a form with tabcontrol,
in one tab i put a richtextbox.

how can i access the richtextbox and edit a text in it?

Thanks

Xmen Real 31-Jul-09 7:04

Xmen Real

31-Jul-09 7:04

richTextBox1.Text="I got you";

you can access any control in form or any container control(if subcontrol is added by current form) by using its Name property. If Name is "richTextBox1" then just write
richTextBox1 and rest depends on you...

TVMU^P[[IGIOQHG^JSH`A#@`RFJ\c^JPL>;"[,*/|+&WLEZGc`AFXc!L
%^]*IRXD#@GKCQ`R\^SF_WcHbORY87֦ʻ6ϣN8ȤBcRAV\Z^&SU~%CSWQ@#2
W_AD`EPABIKRDFVS)EVLQK)JKQUFK[M`UKs*$GwU#QDXBER@CBN%
R0~53%eYrd8mt^7Z6]iTF+(EWfJ9zaK-iTV.C\y<pjxsg-b$f4ia>

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128 bit encrypted signature, crack if you can

gal00031-Jul-09 18:45

gal000

31-Jul-09 18:45

Xmen W.K. wrote:
you can access any control in form or any container control(if subcontrol is added by current form) by using its Name property. If Name is "richTextBox1" then just write
richTextBox1 and rest depends on you...

WOW thanks,
i thougth i need to access tought the tab.

Baeltazor31-Jul-09 7:32

31-Jul-09 7:32

Hi,

If the Rich Text Box is the first control inside the tabpage, then there are two ways you can acheive this:

Directly access the RTB:

tabControl1.SelectedTab.Controls[0].Text = "I have just accessed my Rich Text Box and put text in it";

OR:

RichTextBox rtb = tabControl1.SelectedTab.Controls[0] as RichTextBox;
rtb.Text = "I have just accessed my Rich Text Box and put text in it";

I'll explain the above code a little:

First, we access the tabControl, and say, "we need to look inside the Selected Tab", then we say goto Control[0] (0 being the very first control inside the selected tabpage). Then we use .Text to access the Text property of the RichTextBox control and write something in it.

Note: If the RichTextBox control is NOT the first control inside your TabPage, then you will need to replace the number [0] with the appropriate number. I.e. If the RTB is the second control in your tabpage then replace [0] with [1].

I hope this has helped.

Regards,
Jason Pezzimenti.

If you liked the answer that I have provided, then please click the 'Good Answer' link on the bottom-right of this post. Thank you.

TextBox disabling Middle-Scroll.

Luc Pattyn31-Jul-09 18:28

Luc Pattyn

31-Jul-09 18:28

Why on earth would one use an array index to refer to a Control of which one has a perfectly good reference variable anyway?

This is a terrible suggestion, it weakens the robustness of the code as it introduces an unnecessary constant, that obfuscates the real intent and might accidentally change when the app gets modified and controls get added or removed.

Dead | X|

Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [My Articles]

The quality and detail of your question reflects on the effectiveness of the help you are likely to get.
Show formatted code inside PRE tags, and give clear symptoms when describing a problem.

Baeltazor31-Jul-09 6:58

31-Jul-09 6:58

Hey there

I'm experiencing a little problem over here... In NotePad, when the scrollbars are visible I can use my middle mouse button to scroll horizontally or vertically, but when I create my own Text Editor in C#, this does not work. I can see for a split second the circular scroller thing appear but then it dissappears right away. Does anybody know a way to fix this?

Xmen Real 31-Jul-09 7:01

Xmen Real

31-Jul-09 7:01

make sure textbox has focus as well as middle mouse is not pressed

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128 bit encrypted signature, crack if you can

Baeltazor31-Jul-09 7:07

31-Jul-09 7:07

Thank you for your reply. I think I understand what you meant. I just went and made a change. I added textBox1.Focus(); to the code when I create the TextBox. but it still doesn't work. Do you know what causes this problem?

Regards,
Jason Pezzimenti.

If you liked the answer that I have provided, then please click the 'Good Answer' link on the bottom-right of this post. Thank you.

Xmen Real 31-Jul-09 7:09

Xmen Real

31-Jul-09 7:09

use RichTextBox instead

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128 bit encrypted signature, crack if you can

Baeltazor31-Jul-09 7:10